A Perfect Keyboard that doesn't break your bank

INTRODUCTION

We have always heard a saying that Big isn’t always better. In case of 60% keyboards this saying holds true even though you get less keys for the price. The compact and space saving design of a 60% is what makes it so desirable among both gamers and enthusiasts.

The Ant Esports MK1200 Mini the brands first 60% keyboard was launched to fill the void present in the same category. Priced at around ₹2000 (~$28) it’s a perfect addition to a budget PC to boost up the looks of the PC and increase productivity.

DESIGN

The Ant Esports MK1200 Mini is the brands first 60% keyboard and it measures just 29x10x4 cm. The keyboard has a full black exterior with four rubber feet on the bottom. The keyboard is angled slightly to decrease wrist fatigue from extended usage. There is a USB Type C port on the top side to connect to a PC or MAC. There is no noticeable flexing and the build is solid. The keyboard is also pretty light and weighs in at just 400gm.

The small and light footprint coupled with a detachable USB Type-C cable means that it can be carried in your backpack and is compact enough to be kept on your desk beside your mouse for a clean workspace.

SPECIFICATION

The keyboard has 61 mechanical MX Blue Clones keys which are backlit. The keys are branded YH and are box type. The spacebar and Enter keys have stabilizers under the keys. The keycaps are Double Shot ABS which means that the legends will never fade off. The bundled USB C cable is 1.2 Meters long and is braided.

Full detailed specifications

Switches: YH Branded Clicky Blues with 50M Clicks Lifespan

Lighting: Fixed Rainbow Colour

Additional Lighting Options: 17 Preset Profiles with 4 Brightness steps

Control Keys: With Fn

Interface: USB Type-A

Cable: USB-C, detachable, braided

Key Caps: ABS Doubleshot

Dimension (LxWxH): ~ 29 x 10 x 4cmETUP

Setup is easy and straight forward. Just connect the cable to the keyboard and the other end to a PC and it will be detected automatically as a gaming keyboard. No additional software necessary.

FINAL THOUGHTS AND CONCLUSION

I have used quite a number of full-size mechanical keyboards with switches from different brands and the Ant Esports MK1200 Mini was no short of a place in the Mechanical Keyboard Master Race. The light weight coupled with the compact nature is what puts it ahead of others. As a person who likes a clean workspace it exceeds my needs.  

Surely there are other 60% Keyboards out there with expensive additions but from a budget perspective the MK1200 Mini is a bang for the buck. One feature that I like in my keyboards is the presence of adjustable feet, since the Ant lacks it I will rate it 9/10.

UPDATE (October 2021)

Keeping in mind the popularity and demand for a budget and well balanced 60% keyboard Ant Esports have launched a newer updated variant of the MK1200 Mini with newer and better Key Switches from Jixian, Proper cherry style stabilizers, Onboard memory so that you can store your effects even after PC is shutdown and the thing that I requested the addition of adjustable feets with two height levels (update below) .